monitoring with vbac

can anyone tell me about monitoring during vbac? i am undecided whether i will attempt a vbac or have a caesar....

my hospital and potential ob is very very pro vbac (dr david simon at warragul) however the monitoring scares me a little.... my gp who also delivers at warragul said there would be CONTINUOUS monitoring, however the belt thingi on my belly would be remote, so i could still get up and move around etc as there would be no cords, she also mentioned a monitor attached to the baby's head and then strapped around my thigh, so again i could be in the bath or moving around/active...

can anyone tell me if i can REFUSE the scalp attachment?? what exactly is it for? i know i know, questions i should have asked at the time but they didn't come out...

can anyone tell me if they have had the cordless (remote) monitoring, and how noticable it was, and how much of a hinderance?

i'm still very undecided and luckily (and ridiculously) have about 9 months (all going well) to decide which way to go :)

I think it depends on the hospital. My OB was quite fine with me having limited monitoring, with a quick check every four hours or so, but mainly happy to go with my instinct and what was happening with my body.

I had the remote CTG monitoring with the straps around the belly for my labour with DS (breech) and spent that time in the shower before the emergency c-section. Same monitoring with DD but didn't make it to the shower - the sink was more comfortable :D She was a successful VBAC.

Didn't really notice it at all. In fact DD's labour was so short and intense I have a hard time remembering whether it was there or not!!!! Never had the scalp monitoring.

Im not really sure myself, am im waiting for my bubbs lol but i did go into hossy and cause id had a c/s before, they usually monitor u every 2 hrs and when u get to 3-4 cm its more often from what ive been told. they do have wireless ones and u can move about etc.

Hi Emma,
Congrats on your pregnancy and it's fantastic that you are considering VBAC! I had a VBA2C 7 weeks ago and Dr David Simon was my OB. HE IS AMAZING!!!!!! :D

Warragul have the telemetry monitoring in each of the birth suites but unfortunately they were all being used or broken so I wasn't able to use one. :( I was attached to the unit for the initial monitoring and found that the straps around my back were excruciating (I had bad back labour) I was still able to get up and move when it was attached to me but needed to stay near the machine. I quickly told the midwife to take it off. David came to see me and said he wanted to attach an electrode to the baby's head. I simply said 'I'd rather not have an electrode" David asked "So what do you want?" I replied "intermitted monitoring with a Doppler" He then explained that he couldn't guarantee the safety of my baby and they recommend continuous monitoring with a VBAC. I said I understand but wanted intermitted monitoring. He wrote in my notes that I requested it and that he had explained to me the risks. I signed it and it wasn't mentioned again.

You do not have to agree to anything! And you always have the right to change your decision at anytime. I'd recommend you read the article on the birthrites website on foetal monitoring you can find it here
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When it comes to the electrode. It is basically a miniature corkscrew that is screwed into the baby's head while they are still inside you. It is used to monitor the baby?s heartrate. Everyone has different thoughts and beliefs. I decided to refuse the electrode. A midwife (not a Kym midwife) tried to tell me that it didn't hurt the baby. Personally I didn't want a piece of metal screwed into my babies head. Some people have no issue with it however. But the important thing is IT IS YOUR BODY AND YOUR BABY! David is a fantastic OB. He will explain the risks to you but will respect your decision completely. He does have to abide by hospital policies even if it?s not exactly what he believes. It is also important to know that you CAN'T get in the bath with the electrode monitoring. But you can with the telemetry monitoring.


Why do they want to monitor with VBAC? Studies have shown that the baby's heart rate can show early signs of a uterine rupture. The above article I posted looks at this. The jury is still out on wether continuous monitoring is needed or it intermitted is just as succesful. (That article discusses this also). It is REALLY recommended to have continuous monitoring if you have the oxytocins drip. I had the drip but still refused monitoring :)

I agreed to the drip then I was in full on labour and told them to take it out. LOL. The midwife said she couldn't. I requested David. He walked in the room, I look at him and said "I want the drip out" he smiled and told the midwife to take it out. (My contractions continued the same and I laboured and delivered my son in about 3hrs with only a little gas at the end (I had a few complications and needed an episiotomy) but David doesn?t like to do episiotomies unless really needed and my baby needed to be born right away.


Anyway I hope I answered all of your questions! If you have any more questions or comments feel free to email me if you like.
julie_annrogers@optusnet.com.au

oh and my VBAC was the most amazing, empowering, beautiful experience of my life! I would reccomend anyone to try :)
Good luck with everything (not that you really need luck with a brilliant OB like David ;) )

wow thank you!!!! i am feeling a lot better about it all now.... i haven't actually met dr simon yet (as i am still ridiculously early in my pregnancy) but my doc is referring me to him and its comforting to hear you had such a good experience.

thank you again i am sure after meeting him i am going to come at you with more questions :)

When I first met David I wasn't sure if I liked him. But he really relaxes as you get to know him. So if you are unsure of him on your first visit give it a few visits before you really make an opinion.

Also if you are planning a VBAC David will put you into the KYM program. (Know Your Midwife). There are 4 midwifes who you see throughout your pregnancy. They are oncall 24/7 and it will be one of those midwifes who are with you during labor. They are verry experienced at VBAC. I found them amazing to talk to as I was carrying a lot of baggage into my pregnancy and birth from my two previous c-sections. One visit I was pumped and ready to go and the next I was in tears and doubting myself. They were really supportive. :)

I had continuous CTG monitoring for my VBAC 3 weeks ago. They only checks a couple of times during early labour, but it was continuous after I was in active labour.
To be honest the monitor didn't bother me at all. I could have moved around with it on, but in the end found I wanted to lie down anyway. I know there are doubts as to whether it is necessary, but I also felt more comfortable knowing the baby was ok. I was never asked to have a monitor on the baby's head, but wouldn't have consented to it. I just don't like the idea.

I would recommend that you read as much as possible about VBAC in general and have all your questions written down before you go to the ob. There were always things that I forgot to ask if I didn't have it written down. Get him to explain anything that you don't understand... that is what he is there for.

I would recommend having a VBAC. I know there are risks, but there are with a c/s too. It was an incredible experience. My recovery has been much better, even with 2nd degree tearing, and has made coping with a toddler and a newborn much easier. It sounds like you have a great supportive ob too, take advantage of it!